How to Actually Use a Marcel Curling Iron, According to Gisele's Hairstylist

Being a hair tool junkie, I'm always excited to try a new curling iron—doubly so when it comes from Gisele's hairstylist Harry Josh, a.k.a. the man behind a two-time Best of Beauty–winning blow-dryer. I couldn't wait to get my hands on his latest iron, the Harry Josh 2-in-1 Ceramic Marcel Curling Iron. (Allure's beauty director, Jenny Bailly, was among the first to try it. Jealous!) But it's not just any curling iron; it's a marcel iron, which is a sort of old-school version preferred by pros. And that intimidated me—until Josh himself offered up a marcel iron tutorial.

First, a little bit about the tool: The iconic mint-green barrel, aside from being totally adorable, releases negative ions to make curls shiny. It also heats up in less than 60 seconds. All well and good (great, really), but I couldn't get past the marcel attachment. I've seen the pros use springless clips—you don't squeeze the lever—without giving it a second thought, but when I first attempted it on myself, it was a whole different story. So I went straight to Josh himself for a little help.

Here's his quick how-to video:

Josh holds the curling iron the way you'd hold any other one, but with one small tweak: He's holding his middle finger under the handle, not over it. This gives leverage to open and close the clamp. Because the clip rotates a full 365 degrees around the rod, once the ends of your hair are secured and you move all your fingers on top of the handle, you can use your fingers to roll the rod up the hair shaft. "Using the marcel iron is great for a careful finish, like old-Hollywood, high-glamour waves," says Josh. "It's also great for finishing the ends of your waves or curls because the clamp helps wrap the curls uniformly." By the way, if this still seems a little out of your wheelhouse (no judgment here! We're still practicing, too), the clip is completley detachable, so you can still use the tool as a plain old clipless curling rod for a more tousled, beachy (dare we say, Gisele-y?) effect.